The Magpies have won both of their opening two fixtures of 2018 and Rafa Benitez's side will certainly fancy their chances of making it a hat-trick of victories when they line up against Carlos Carvalhal's charges.

Newcastle had picked up just one point from nine Premier League matches between late October and mid December, but Benitez's team have steadied the ship in recent weeks and have lost just one of their last five fixtures in all competitions.

The team from Tyneside are Betsafe's 94/100 (1.94) favourites to maintain momentum by picking up all three points against the struggling Swans, while the same firm offer 47/20 (3.35) that this match remains level at the end of what is sure to be a fiercely contested 90 minutes

Carvalhal's appointment as Swansea City manager came as something of a surprise, but the former Sheffield Wednesday boss enjoyed the perfect start to his tenure as the Swans came from a goal down to claim a thrilling 2-1 victory against Watford at Vicarage Road in the 52-year-old Portuguese's first match in charge.

That triumph halted a run of seven successive defeats on the road for the Swans and Carvalhal's team will be targeting back-to-back Premier League wins away from home for the first time in 12 months; Swansea can be backed at 37/10 (4.70) with Betsafe to achieve that objective.

Team news

Ayoze Perez has scored three times in his two appearances for the Magpies in 2018 and the Spanish star will be keen to further extend his scoring streak here, while Leroy Fer is available for the Swans after successfully appealing against the red card that he was shown against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup last weekend.

The case for unders

Newcastle have failed to find the net in five of their last six Premier League matches at St James' Park, while there have been fewer than three goals scored in six of the last eight matches at the venue in this competition.

As such, Betsafe offer 27/10 (3.70) that Swansea shut out the hosts on Saturday, while the same firm offer 3/5 (1.60) that there are fewer than three goals when these teams lock horns on Tyneside.

There have also been fewer than two goals scored in five of Newcastle's last seven league matches on their own patch, while the Magpies were 1-0 winners at the Liberty Stadium back in September, so Betsafe's 9/5 (2.80) quote for fewer than two goals to be scored could well prove to be popular with punters.

Tips and predictions:

With just 13 goals from their opening 22 Premier League matches, it is clear that Swansea City must find the net more regularly if they are to win their battle to beat the drop from the top flight this term.

Newcastle have conceded more than a single goal in just one of their last seven matches in all competitions and there could be value in backing Benitez's well-drilled team to keep the Swans at bay on Saturday.

It is, therefore, Betsafe's 29/25 (2.16) quote for the Magpies to maintain a clean sheet that could represent best value for punters ahead of this weekend's crucial clash at St James' Park.